Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw's 44th-minute strike gave Manchester City Women their first win of the 2024/25 Women's Super League (WSL) season, as they edged Brighton 1-0 at Joie Stadium in an early kick-off on Sunday. Shaw's goal, her first of the new campaign, was the decisive factor in a match dominated by City from start to finish.

The Jamaican forward pounced just before half-time, expertly converting Kirstin Casparij’s cross from the left wing. Shaw made a well-timed run across her defender to poke the ball home, breaking the deadlock and giving City a well-deserved lead going into the break.

Despite their dominance, City failed to capitalize on several chances to extend their lead throughout the second half. Brighton, while showing brief moments of attacking intent, struggled to maintain possession, often creating their own problems by playing out from the back under intense pressure from City.

It was far from a perfect performance by Gareth Taylor’s side, but the win secured their first three points of the season.

In the closing stages of the match, there was concern for City as Shaw went down injured and was eventually forced off the pitch. She was replaced by Mary Fowler, but the extent of Shaw's injury remains unclear.

Jamaica’s Khadija “Bunny” Shaw could cop March's Barclays Women's Super League Goal-of-the-Month award, as well as Manchester City Women’s Player-of-the-Month award after being shortlisted for both following her exploits throughout last month.

Shaw registered the historic achievement of being the club’s all-time leading goal-scorer when she overtook Georgia Stanway’s mark of 67. During that period, the prolific Jamaican had goals against Everton, Brighton and Hove Albion, Manchester United and Liverpool.

The towering 27-year-old striker now has 70 career goals for the north England powerhouse, which she joined three years ago, and 19 so far this season.

City’s manager Gareth Taylor in a recent interview, heaped praises on Shaw for her record-breaking feat.

“She’s a unique player, not only does she give us the goals, but she’s also a big focal point,” he said.

Shaw, City’s Player-of-the-Year for last season, faces stiff competition for the March award from midfielder Jess Park, who has also been shortlisted for the Barclays Women's Super League Goal-of-the-Month award.

Both players were nominated for finishes in the 4-1 victory at Liverpool last weekend.

Park’s goal, City’s second, came as she danced through a compact Liverpool defence and tucked calmly into the corner.

Shaw’s unstoppable strike from range came just two minutes later and had City 3-0 up in 24 minutes.

After four wins from four across the month, City are top of the table on 46 points having played a game more than defending champions Chelsea, who are on 43 points.

To win the award, Park or Shaw will have to see off six other strikes.

On the list are Hanna Bennison of Everton, Bristol City’s Megan Connolly, West Ham’s Viviane Asseyi, Lee Geum-min and Elisabeth Terland of Brighton and Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert.

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw continues to enjoy an outstanding individual campaign for Manchester City, and, as such, will end the year atop the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) scorers list.

The towering Jamaican striker has so far tallied 21 goals in a mere 10 games played so far in the 2023/24 season, and her feat has positioned Manchester City in second on 22 points, three behind leaders Chelsea.

Shaw’s rich vein of form puts her ahead of Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly (18), Bethany England (12) of Tottenham Hotspur, and Brighton Hove and Albion’s Elisabeth Terland (12) in the race for the Golden Boot, heading into the New Year.

The colourful exploits of the 26-year-old Reggae Girl should come as no surprise, as she merely picked up where she left off last season when she broke new ground by notching 31 goals in all competitions, a record across a single campaign for City’s women’s team.

During that season, Shaw was named Women’s Player of the Season in a fan vote, while she was also shortlisted for the Barclays Women’s Super League’s equivalent award.

Shaw finished the 2022/23 season with an astonishing 31 goals in all competitions, surpassing Nikita Parris’ previous highest total of 25 for a Women’s player across a single season. She achieved that tally in just 30 matches, meaning she found the net at a rate greater than once per game. 

When you add nine assists onto that total, her overall goal involvements for that campaign stand at an incredible 40. 

Shaw scored 20 of those goals in the WSL, two in as many UEFA Women’s Champions League matches, two in two Continental Cup fixtures, and an astonishing seven in three FA Cup appearances. 

And by all indications, there will be much more records and scoring feats to come for both Shaw and Manchester City, as her impressive journey will continue at the club until at least 2026.

Shanice van de Sanden celebrated becoming a mother with a goal as Liverpool beat Brighton 4-0 in the Women’s Super League.

The Netherlands forward, who had missed the midweek Continental Cup defeat by Manchester United with her partner giving birth to a girl on Tuesday, drove in her first goal of the season.

It came after an opening goal headed in by Gemma Bonner, who had been presented with a framed shirt by Liverpool great Ian Callaghan before kick-off to mark her achievement in becoming the club’s record appearance maker in the Women’s Super League era.

Ceri Holland added a third goal in the second half before Sophie Roman Haug capped an impressive performance by scoring in stoppage time.

Brighton were well beaten in the end, yet had caused Liverpool significant problems in the opening 20 minutes.

Liverpool goalkeeper Teagan Micah – making her Women’s Super League debut, having arrived from Swedish club Rosengard in July – produced three important saves before the match was 10 minutes old.

First she pushed aside a deflected Pauline Bremer shot, then beat away Maisie Symonds’ inswinging corner under pressure and tipped over a dangerous cross-shot from Brighton’s leading scorer Elisabeth Terland.

Micah was beaten in the 13th minute as Terland glanced another Symonds corner goalwards, but Bonner cleared the ball off the line.

Having ridden the early pressure, Liverpool went ahead in the 27th minute, as Bonner – making her 138th Liverpool appearance, now four clear of previous record holder Ashley Hodson – rose at the near post to flick Marie Hobinger’s corner past goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.

The home side extended their advantage in the 43rd minute, as Haug broke through the middle before feeding a pass right for Van de Sanden to angle a low drive beneath Baggaley.

They added a third goal in the 63rd minute, as Haug chased a ball to the byline that Brighton centre-back Guro Bergsvand was trying to allow to run out of play, and hooked it back for Holland to head in from inside the six-yard box.

Van de Sanden looked certain to score a second moments later as Hobinger played her clear, but Baggaley reacted brilliantly to push her blasted shot over the bar. She then drove wide after making another burst clear, before being substituted to a standing ovation.

Her replacement Leanne Kiernan hit the bar with a rising angled drive as Liverpool threatened to overwhelm Brighton, and substitute Missy Bo Kearns forced another fine save from Baggaley with a shot on the run in the closing minutes.

A fourth goal arrived in the second minute of injury time, as Haug rolled in from close range following a Kiernan cutback.

Brighton can become pioneers in women’s football now that the team has received the go-ahead for a purpose-built stadium, according to the councillor who helped approve the plans.

Brighton and Hove City Council gave the green light in October for the club to proceed with locating a site within the city for what is hoped will be an approximately 10,000-capacity ground for the Women’s Super League side.

The proposed new ground will be the first of its kind in the UK to have been designed and built specifically for use by a women’s team, with all 12 of the current WSL clubs playing in stadiums either previously or currently shared with men’s sides.

Currently the team plays home matches more than 30 miles away from the city at Crawley’s Broadfield Stadium.

It is an arrangement that has suited the club since becoming founder members of the restructured WSL in 2018 but Labour councillor John Hewitt – who serves as lead councillor for leisure and sport and backed the proposal ahead of it being voted through – believes it is not sustainable if football in the city hopes to grow.

Once a site is found and work on the new stadium can begin, Hewitt says the club can realistically think about becoming trendsetters in the women’s game.

“As good as (Crawley) are as hosts, the distance has an adverse effect,” he told the PA news agency. “Plus it doesn’t seem like our home ground, because the seats are red and we’re blue and white.

“The intention is to build around 10,000 capacity which is a realistic number. The team get around 3-4,000 at Crawley, but there is the capacity for the club to grow in the coming years.

“It’s about the women’s game achieving parity with the men’s game. Women’s football is growing. Brighton hosted three games at the Euros last year and there were good attendances. We know there’s the scope for it.

“It shows how far the club has come. They were made homeless in 1997, exiled in Gillingham for two years, the struggle to establish the Amex Stadium. This shows the best steps they’re looking to make.

“On behalf of the city, it would be fantastic if we could be seen as pioneers for this. In years to come, this could be the norm.

“One of the reasons for having a purpose-built stadium is different needs. For example, playing in a men’s stadium, dressing rooms might only have two cubicles, whereas a purpose-built women’s ground would have more.

“Hopefully, other cities and towns can follow suit in supporting their women’s teams.”

Brighton are currently eighth in the WSL table having finished 11th and narrowly avoided relegation last season.

With the men’s side having a enjoyed a highest-ever league finished last campaign and currently on the brink of progressing beyond the Europa League group stage on their debut European run, Hewitt believes the situation is ripe for the women’s side to follow suit and play their part in reinforcing Brighton’s reputation as a coming football force.

He added: “The intention is for the club to finance it, but the council will be a key stakeholder in that. We’ve been invited to have our input, as in what would we like out of it.

“So it’s not just a stadium where there are 20 football matches a year played there, there could be educational facilities, community initiatives hosted there, schools using it for their cup finals.

“We’ll be looking at how best we can use the facility for the resident in the city.”

Reggae Girlz striker Khadija Shaw scored four goals to help Manchester City Women secure a 7-2 hammering of Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Women’s Super League at the Manchester City Academy Stadium on Saturday.

Shaw, who now has eight goals in 15 matches this season in the WSL, scored her goals in the 3^rd, 12^th, 57^th and 61^st minutes to help her Manchester City team move to third in the table with 41 points from 20 matches.

“The team looks to me to score goals so to get four today is an unbelievable feeling,” Shaw said in a post-match interview.

The other City goals came from Caroline Weir in the 16^th, Alex Greenwood in the 68^th and Lauren Hemp in the 69^th minute.

Chelsea currently leads the WSL with 50 points from 20 matches followed by Arsenal with 46 points from 19 matches.